Hi guys ,

I recently purchased a 83 Z28 as a project for my son and I . it is a crossfire car with the LU5 .This car will never see track time , just going to be something fun to drive to local cruise ins and car shows.I am going for a pro touring look but want it to sound nasty with a little cam lope. I have removed the cross fire stuff and replaced it with a weiand intake and a holley 600cfm. for simplicity i went with a mechanical pump . i knew elec pump was bad thats why the car was parked for the last 5 years. anyway,, pump is on and car runs good sucking gas from the gas can. but since i cant drive it that way i decided to check the tank and this is what i found inside....

if i could get my big hands down in that hole i could scoop handfuls of rust off bottom!! so its time to ask for your opinon on a new tank.. go back with a factory style tank, or just mount a fuel cell in bottom of trunk and box it in with a sealed lid. (also is there a section to start a build thread ? )

 

Oh boy! that's pretty wicked. You can go to the junkyard and get a plastic tank from a 93-02 and it will go in place of the one you have. No use getting rid of the already limited trunk space in these cars if you don't have to.

 

MT...Welcome!
You can get a new tank from RockAuto.com for between 120-170 bucks and bolt it right in.

Saves the hassle with all the mods.

 

yeah,and receive a spectra brand tank . that others have had a hard time with. IMHO a parts yard tank and a new carb sending unit is the way to avoid all that "don't fit right" stuff.

 

Rusty...yeah...agree. And you know it will fit. My bad.

 

Thanks for the responses . I have read a few posts that say the new tanks have to be modified, and some need new straps. I don't mind doing some work if it saves some cash. My biggest problem around here is the pull a part yards puncture the gas tanks, and if I find one I have to get it out without jacking up the car.

 

well if that's what your up against. call bruce at hawks. he has them. im not sure about shipping a used tank but,honestly. you DO NOT want a spectra brand tank. I have bought ONE and others on here can vouch for the filler neck being wrong. they are smaller than OEM, not worth the money wasted.

 

If I find a tank at the salvage yard would it be possible to remove tank by cutting trunk floor with a cordless sawzall ? Or is it all thin enough to use good tin snips? And pull tank out of the hatch?

 

You'd have to disconnect the filler neck and even then I'm not sure you could cut enough away to make room. Are the cars at your yard not sitting up on blocks where you can get under them? It's fairly simple to remove when you don't really have to worry about putting the car back together afterwards haha

 

Have a radiator shop take a look at it, I've had them boil out tanks for me that I couldn't get clean enough..last one (about 6 months ago) ran me 130 to clean and seal it.

 

thats what i did with the tank still in the car had it steamed then i let it air dry right on the spot put gas back in and drove off

 

There's no way this tank could be cleaned still in the car. I'm going to take the pressure washer to it tomorrow, and then use some muratic acid on it to get the funk out. Then I'll see how the rust situation is and seal it from the inside. Good thing is It doesn't leak, it still had almost 10 gal of putrid gas in it. Gas that had been sitting for 5 years ! I'm hoping it can be saved , it's worth a try and cheaper than a new tank.

 

I would not recommend using muriatic acid in the presence of gas fumes.BAD IDEA! but you CAN pressure wash it with good results. I use a product called "greased lightning". and a handful or two of gravel. I know it sounds hokey. but it works really well.

 

theres also the epoxy tank repair.
http://www.caswellplating.com/restor...nk-sealer.html

are you planning on modding the pickup where the electric fuel pump was? i would while you have it apart.

 

Tried the boiling out/tank sealer treatment many yrs ago on a tank that was nowhere near as bad as yours. Didnt last long and started having problems with the filter clogging and needles/seats getting bunged up.

New tank, only way to go,one less thing to strand you when youre out playing.

 

the professional stuff is WAY better than that "creem" BS you can get over the counter. I have had tanks boiled out and coated that are still in use 10 years later. a radiator shop can do the job and it LAST.

 

Yeah it is some nasty stuff , but the tank will be flushed about 10 times and pressure washed by the time I get to the acid. It will also be filled with water again to dilute the acid . Let it sit for about an hour then I will use a funnel and long hose to pour in a solution to neutralize it. That's only if it needs it after I get all the varnish and crud out of tank.
I haven't used rocks, but I have used a big handful of sheet metal screws and vinegar to clean the tank on my 64 C10.

 

Well the acid soak did the trick. It's all clean shiny metal again inside. Neutralized, triple rinsed, sucked up all water and junk with shop vac. Turns out no rust in tank at all.
Now if I could just get it to go back in.. it lacks about half an inch from getting bolts back in straps.

Ohhh,, I found my build sheet .. it was on top of gas tank. I can't read all of it .

 

You may want to consider a tank sealer. The acid will have eaten off the galvanizing as well as the rust. It is now unprotected and any moisture will cause it to rust again.

 

Already taken care of

 

No sheet atop my tank, just had it out a week or two ago.

If your still having issues getting the tank set in, I found that it needs to be a dead center between the wells, i/e it doesn't want to "slide" up one side and align, then should fit right up.